ATF Warns: High Alcohol Content in Some Ginseng Products
ATF Warns: High Alcohol Content in Some Ginseng Products
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and several state health departments have demanded a recall of vials of ginseng extract after a laboratory analysis revealed that many of them contain alcohol-some as high as 34 percent alcohol by volume.
Following inquiries from several state agencies and consumers, the ATF tested 55 brands of ginseng extract at its National Laboratory Center in December.
Most often packaged in small 9.5 -10.0 cc vials, the supplements are sold at convenience stores, dollar stores, video stores, and health food markets, and they are often displayed near candy, according to a statement released by the ATF on December 18, 1997. Only seven of the 55 brands tested were found to contain no alcohol.
A spokesman said the agency was issuing a consumer alert to make the public aware that some of the products contained alcohol, because this information was not commonly found on the product labels.
The issue came to the agency's attention after several states contacted the agency with problems. One case involved a New York teacher who notified authorities after several of her students fell asleep in class. The students were all found to have taken ginseng extract.
According to an article in the Nov. 17, 1997, issue of U.S. News and World Report, an 11-year-old boy in Massachusetts suffered heart palpitations after drinking the elixir without knowing what it contained.
Connecticut, New York, and Texas have all recently recalled vials of ginseng extract, some with alcohol content as high as 27% by volume or 54 proof-the same amount as Tia Maria.
The Texas Department of Health (TDH) recently issued a ban on the distribution and sale of small amber vials of extract that have been found to contain alcohol but do not say on the label that it is an ingredient. This omission violates the state's food, drug, and cosmetics act, said state officials.
TDH laboratory analysis of the extracts, imported from China, showed an alcohol content ranging from 0.18-16.0%, or 32 proof. Texas law permits a maximum legal alcohol content of beer at 5.5%, or 11 proof.
"Our main concerns are that consumers should learn about the alcohol content from the label and not from experience," said Dan Sowards, the director of the department's manufactured foods' division.
TDH has asked wholesalers to to recall the product from retail shelves. and voluntarily stop distributing the product until the labeling requirements are met
The ATF regulates alcoholic beverages that contain more than 0.5% alcohol by volume and are fit for beverage use. Their laboratory findings have been shared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates other food products that contain alcohol.
The ATF is working to ensure that all ginseng products meet federal labeling requirements and has contacted the importers and distributors of the products in question and asked them to recall the products until they can be brought into compliance.
Clinicians should note that teenagers and children may be particularly vulnerable to these products, which are easier and cheaper to buy than beer, are often located near candy, and come in flavors like mocha, chocolate, and strawberry.
The ATF maintains a list of the ginseng products it has tested and found to contain alcohol. The list, which also lists those products found to be alcohol-free can be found at http://www.atf.treas.gov/press/fy98-3a.htm.
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